2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division

The 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, also known as the Tamanskaya Division, was an elite armored division of the Russian Army. Named in honor of Mikhail Kalinin and the town of Taman, it was formed in 1941 as a Soviet Army division during World War II, and it became one of the most famous and decorated formations in the Soviet military. It remained intact until it was disbanded in 2009, and it played a major role in the failed August Coup of 1991. In 2013, the division was reformed with up to 14,000 soldiers, and it was based near Moscow.